Sadler, Mitchell account for 28 steroid positives
 

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/nat...positives.aspx

Horses in the care of John Sadler, the leading trainer at Del Mar, have accounted for 18 of the 38 positive tests since the California Horse Racing Board began testing for anabolic steroids on July 1.

Horses trained by Mike Mitchell, who ranks second in the Del Mar standings, have accounted for ten positive steroid tests, CHRB Executive Director Kirk Breed said on Thursday.

CHRB investigators searched Sadler’s barn on Monday at Del Mar. Breed said, to his knowledge, Mitchell’s barn has not been searched.

Through Wednesday, Sadler had registered 25 wins at Del Mar, 11 more than Mitchell. Sadler has five stakes wins during the meet, including the John C. Mabee Handicap (G1) with Black Mamba (NZ). Mitchell won the Eddie Read Handicap (G1) with Monzante.

Mike Mitchell really needs to step it up.

He may routinely turn certified bums into Graded Stakes winners at a rate higher than anyone - but he really ought to be ashamed to let himself get out overaged by a Johnny Come Lately to the supertrainer game like John Sadler.

All the credit must go to Sadler. He's been just outstanding lately.

Sadler has been ridiculous for years.

Until recently, he's been a 13-to-18% guy without that many dramatic move-ups.

Well he usually has about 100 horses in training at a time, so I suppose you can fit him in with the Doug O'Neill's of the world, where the win % is blunted somewhat by the sheer volume of horses being run.

As far as the move-ups, he's certainly no stranger to turning claimers into stakes horses. You can go as far back as the '80s, where BC Sprint staple and ex-claimer Olympic Prospect was a top CA sprinter for him. I think one of your all-time favorites, Christmas Boy, was another ex-claimer.

His Del Mar season is obviously in overdrive win %-wise, but this is certainly not his "coming out" party (no pun intended).

Exactly, and really, he is just pushing the envelope because they gave all the trainers a 'window' out there. He figures that it will take 30 days to clear their system and none of his horses are running at Fairplex, so they are getting a freshening and they will all be ready for the Oak Tree meeting. It should be a very interesting next 6 months out West as far as trainer win percentage is concerned.